Graduate Study

Master of Science in Nutritional Sciences – Application and Materials

The UW Graduate School application for autumn 2025 entry to the MS in Nutritional Sciences will open on September 1, 2024. This page has been updated for the 2025 application cycle.

UW Graduate School Application

  • Start a UW Graduate School application, and enter your Profile and Contact Information (Ethnicity Information is optional).
  • Academic History: Add all schools where you’ve earned a bachelor’s degree or higher or where you’ve taken prerequisite courses, and upload unofficial transcripts for each institution.
  • Program Selection
    • Choose “Graduate” as your application type and “Nutritional Sciences (MS)” as your program.
    • Select “No” under “Concurrent Application,” even if you are also applying to the GCPD.
  • Review the information on the Program Requirements page and attest your understanding.
  • Complete the following pages:
    • Application Questions
    • Application Materials
    • Recommendations
  • If you indicated you are a non-native English speaker, complete the English Language Proficiency page (Non-Native English Speaker Information/English Language Proficiency Requirements).
  • After completing the Verify and Confirm page, review and submit your finalized UW Graduate School application and pay the fee or request a fee waiver (see below).
  • Answer one Post-Application Question.

Application Fee and Fee Waiver

The UW Graduate School application fee is $90. Qualified individuals may request application fee waivers directly from the UW Graduate School following the process on their website.

Application Materials

The materials listed below are submitted or reported electronically through the UW Graduate School online application system.

Note: The GRE is not required or accepted.

Degree Information and Transcripts

In the Academic History section of the UW Graduate School application, list and submit unofficial transcripts for all schools (colleges, universities, and other institutions) where you have earned collegiate-level credit.

Each transcript should be complete, legible, and include: school name, student name, and dates of attendance, and list all courses taken (with grades and credits earned) by term (quarters, semesters, or trimesters).

Acceptable document types:

  • Unofficial school transcripts (often PDFs)
  • Official school transcripts scanned and saved as PDFs

Please observe the following guidelines:

  • Submit all transcripts via your UW Graduate School application. Please do not mail/email transcripts to the Food Systems, Nutrition & Health Program unless specifically directed to do so.
  • Transcripts from third-party services (e.g., Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, etc.) may not be accessible when submitted through the UW Graduate School application. To submit electronic transcripts, have the documents sent to yourself and then upload the files to your UW Graduate School application.
  • Acceptable document types
    • Unofficial school transcript (often a PDF)
    • Official school transcript scanned and saved as PDFs
  • Unacceptable document types
    • Degree audits (not comprehensive summaries of coursework attempted)
    • Transcripts you type out yourself (all documentation submitted must originate from the degree-granting institution)
  • Foreign transcripts, if not in English, must be accompanied by an English translation.
  • Certificate coursework: You need to provide a transcript for certificate coursework only if you earned academic credit in the process of earning the certification. If you earned continuing education units (CEUs), a transcript is not required.
  • Study abroad
    • Credits earned at a school outside the U.S.: If not in English, the transcript must be accompanied by an English translation.
    • Credits earned at a school inside the U.S.: Submit the transcript like any other domestic transcript.

Note: The Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health Program (FSNH) admissions committee retains the right to require that official transcripts be submitted for review at any time during the application and review process. Admitted applicants with accepted offers will be required to submit official transcripts to the UW Graduate School and FSNH. Specific instructions will be provided in admissions materials.

Short Answer Responses and Interest Areas

Respond to the following prompts:

  1. Verify that you’re applying to the correct degree (either “MS degree” or “MS degree and GCPD”).
  2. Are you currently or will you be a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) before your intended enrollment?
  3. Is your goal to be a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)?
  4. Please choose up to three (3) areas of interest within the field of nutrition from the options provided.

Statement of Purpose

Your Statement of Purpose is an opportunity for you to describe how a graduate degree in nutritional sciences will help you meet your professional goals. If you are also applying to the Graduate Coordinated Program in Dietetics (GCPD), please explain how the RDN credential fits into your future plans. Your Statement should include:

  • Highlights/achievements from your undergraduate and (if applicable) graduate education.
  • How your prior work/volunteer experiences have helped prepare you for graduate school
  • Your academic interest areas and why you would like to attend the Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health Program within the University of Washington School of Public Health.
  • Your career objectives.

Maximum word limit: 750, including responses to all bullet points.

Personal History Statement

The Personal History Statement is meant to give you the opportunity to offer a narrative of your lived experiences and obstacles you may have overcome and how these have guided you towards an interest in public health. This statement should not be the same as your Statement of Purpose.

You can include information about who you are as a person; your family or cultural background; your socioeconomic conditions; and your experiences growing up, including successes, challenges, and moments of learning and growth. Please do not feel compelled to provide personal information you would rather not share.

Maximum word limit: 500.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Statement

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) are core values of the School of Public Health and Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health Program. We seek to create a community of students inclusive of and in service to underrepresented populations. We are committed to anti-racism and strive to adopt anti-racist principles both in the classroom and in our work. How would you contribute to these efforts while in the program and as a working professional? 

Please review the UW School of Public Health EDI Statement for more information.

Maximum word limit: 350.

Extenuating Circumstances (optional)

If you would like the admissions committee to consider extenuating circumstances not addressed in other sections of your application, please describe them here, focusing on how you managed/resolved the issue(s).

Maximum word limit: 200.

Prerequisite Information

Download the Prerequisite Information Form, fill it out, and upload it to the Application Questions page of your UW Graduate School application.

GCPD Application (required for GCPD applicants)

Students in the Graduate Coordinated Program in Dietetics (GCPD) work simultaneously towards the completion of a graduate degree in Nutritional Sciences and the coursework and practice experience necessary to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN).

If you indicate you are applying to the GCPD (along with the MS degree) in the Program Materials – Questions section, you will be prompted to download the GCPD Application for Admission, fill it out per the instructions, and upload it to the Application Questions page of your UW Graduate School application.

Note: The GCPD is not participating in DICAS for the current admissions cycle.

Resume or Curriculum Vitae

Upload a PDF of your resume or curriculum vitae (CV) to the Application Materials page of your UW Graduate School application. Your submission should include the following information, as applicable:

  • Academic history (including institution, degree, and dates of attendance)
  • Professional experience (including employer, position/title, dates of employment, and full-time/part-time status)
  • Volunteer experience (including organization, role, dates of participation, and total number of hours)
  • Nutrition-related experience
  • Research experience
  • Involvement with community and/or diversity-related activities
  • Honors, awards, publications, and presentations

Note: Make sure to clearly indicate whether an experience was paid or volunteer and if it was full-time, part-time, or a set number of hours.

Supplemental Information

Download the Supplemental Information Form, fill it out per the instructions, and upload it to the Application Materials page of your UW Graduate School application.

Recommendations (3)

Enter the names and contact information of three recommenders into your UW Graduate School application. These individuals will be sent an email prompt with instructions for submitting their letters of recommendation online.

Please provide a combination of academic and professional references. The most effective and impactful letters of recommendation come from individuals who know you well and are able to provide insight into your academic competence, ability to engage in graduate study, potential for future success in the nutrition field, or work experience and professional demeanor. Please refrain from requesting recommendations from family members, friends, or clergy.

It is your responsibility to provide your references with a submission deadline. We recommend setting a due date earlier than December 1; your application will not be reviewed unless your letters of recommendation have been received.

*Note: You may submit your application prior to the UW Graduate School receiving all of your letters of recommendation.

Non-Native English Speaker Information/English Language Proficiency Requirements

English language proficiency (ELP) is required for graduate study at the University of Washington. Therefore, every applicant whose native language is not English (regardless of citizenship) must demonstrate proficiency in the English language.

Non-native English speakers will be asked in the UW Graduate School application how they plan to fulfill the requirement.

Ways to demonstrate English proficiency (please see Policy 3.2: Graduate School English Language Proficiency Requirements for details and more information about each option):

  • English test scores (official scores must be submitted directly from the testing service to the UW (for additional questions or assistance with reporting official test scores, please review the UW Graduate School Application Help and FAQs)
  • A degree (bachelor’s or higher) from a regionally-accredited U.S. institution of higher education
  • A degree (bachelor’s or higher) from an institution in one of the countries specified in UW Graduate School Policy 3.2, where English is the medium of instruction
  • Official documentation from a bachelor’s degree-granting institution (if in a country other than those listed in Policy 3.2, above) verifying that all instruction is in English (“Medium of Instruction Document”)

Additional information:

  • If submitting test scores, the admissions committee has a strong preference for the TOEFL. In addition, Duolingo test scores do not qualify applicants for on-campus employment as teaching assistants.
  • If fulfilling the ELP requirement via degree from the U.S. or a country in Policy 3.2, no additional documentation is required. We will use the transcripts submitted with your application.
  • If submitting a Medium of Instruction Document, we will accept notation printed directly on your degree transcript or a separate document issued by your degree-granting institution. If submitting a separate document, you will be asked to upload it to the English Language Proficiency page of your UW Graduate School application.

Post-Application Questions

While optional, we would greatly appreciate you responding to the following Post-Application Questions, available via your UW Graduate School Application Checklist within 30 minutes of submission:

  • Are you the first member of your immediate family to complete an undergraduate degree?
  • Are you the first member of your immediate family to pursue a graduate degree?
  • How did you first learn about the UW Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health Program?
  • To which other schools/programs of public health are you applying?
  • Are you applying for financial aid?